Chapter 6

Knox

“Hey…” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Charlie sidled up the day of the party. We were having a slack one, transforming the conference room into a Christmas wonderland, and of course he decided that meant we had time to stand around and talk shit. “About tonight?”

“If you’re a very good boy and leave biscuits and a beer out for Santa, you might find a present under the tree for you,” I replied.

Charlie took in my even stare and then forged on, completely unfazed.

“So I was thinking we could work together to get Noah the best present ever.” I was thinking it wasn’t socks or jocks, but I stood up and crossed my arms, waiting for his explanation. “Millie. That Millie, she’s the Millie.”

“She’s the only woman I know by that name,” I replied, but I was just being painful. I knew. We’d all heard Noah talk about Amelia McDonald when his defences were down. He hadn’t looked at another woman once, despite some badge bunnies trying real hard to catch his eye.

“Woman of his dreams?” Charlie shook his head at me. “The one he’s been pining for all this time? Pretty sure he bulked up and joined the fire department to impress her.”

But he didn’t, I wanted to snap. Ten years ago he had Millie in his arms and he could’ve sealed the deal any time between now and then. I saw the hurt in her eyes, the wariness, and I’d been short with Noah since, because every time I talked to the bloke I’d grown to rely on, I saw her. Part of me wanted to thump my fists on my chest, say I would be the best guy for her, but I didn’t, because that’s not what mates did. Friendship was so fundamental to Australian culture a prime minister threatened to add mateship to the constitution, and I needed to be a good friend right now.

“OK, what’re you thinking?”

Charlie used that megawatt smile that had kids grinning and their mums flushing.

“Noah obviously doesn’t have the stones to make a move, so we… help him. I haven’t met a guy that needs a wingman more. Well.” His grin widened. “Except for you.”

“Keep talking like that, Blisters, and you’re on your own,” I growled.

Charlie said he earned himself that nickname because he burned his hands pretty badly during training, but really it was because he only came out once the work was done.

“OK, OK, maybe we need to work on getting you a woman too. Might improve your mood if you went on a date with someone other than Mrs. Palmer and her five daughters.” He wriggled his hand and I just stared. “So we need to talk Noah up, make sure Millie knows just how good a firefighter he is.”

“Because that’s what women want.” I smirked. “Six foot, six figures, and works for the State Emergency Service.”

“Because if she liked him before, she could like him again.”

And there it was. I froze midway through draping tinsel on the plastic Christmas tree that got resurrected each year. Noah had something on me that I’d never have. Millie looked at him with hurt eyes, because he had the capacity to affect her that way. They’d shared classes, grown up together, shared… I swallowed hard, then hung the tinsel before letting it go.

“Alright.” I turned to face Charlie. “And if she doesn’t want to go there with Noah? From what I can tell, the breakup wasn’t a happy one. She looked like she’d been slapped when she saw who it was that put out the fire, and he hasn’t made a move on her in ten years. You’re the one who invited her, not Noah.”

“Why do you think I’m volunteering to help?” People thought Charlie was a bit thick, but actually nothing got past this kid. He noticed everything, even if his brain couldn’t seem to sequence that deluge of information. “I’ll help this little second chance romance get off the ground, but if that fails…” His teeth gleamed bright white against his tanned skin. “You and I are going to work out which one of us she was looking forward to seeing again.”

I didn’t reply, didn’t need to, not when he noticed the muscle in my jaw ticking.

“So, all bets are off if she rejects Noah?”

My voice came out far lower, way more gravelly than I intended.

“If the spark died sometime between high school and here?” He was always a cocky prick, but never more than when it came to women. Now was the first time I wanted to give him a run for his money. “Then I’m determined to find out if I can spark another. Deal?”

He held out a hand like this was some kind of a bet or something, yet somehow my palm slapped against his, squeezing his fingers hard as our station commander, Brent, walked in.

“Got time to hold hands, fellas?” His bushy white eyebrows rose. “Then you’ve got time to move some boxes. The drinks for tonight have arrived.”

“On it, boss,” I said, pulling away from Charlie, glad for an opportunity to burn some of the energy that surged inside me. Millie walking past Noah, past Charlie, and right back into my arms where she belonged? Yeah, I wanted that real bad. Instead, I was forced to grab slabs of drinks, carrying them into the station cool room.

“Has…?” We were halfway through the job when Noah came over, a frown forming, then smoothing away again. “Has Millie texted back, said she was coming?”

Charlie grinned as he pulled out his phone and then shook his head.

“Not yet. I’ll ask.”

“Wait, no…”

I felt like a prick then, seeing how stricken Noah looked. The bloke walked into fiery buildings without blinking and here he was, freaking out over a girl. I had conveniently forgotten just how into her he was.

“Done.”

Still on for tonight? Charlie had written.

We all stared at Charlie’s screen, as if that was enough to conjure an answer.

Then the little dots appeared. We all sucked in a breath, watching them form, then stop, then form again, right before a message came through. Fuck this, I thought, moving my weight onto my back foot, ready to step away. We weren’t a bunch of spotty teenagers waiting to hear back from a girl.

Sure am, she replied, but that wasn’t all.

I could’ve coped with that, tamped down the near immediate reaction my body was having if all we got was confirmation. Instead, this was quickly followed by a photo obviously taken spontaneously in her room if the mess was anything to go by. I didn’t dwell on the piles of clothes or crooked painting on the wall, just that dress. One of those little red satin slip things that seemed to slide around a woman’s body as she moved, the whole thing one long caress. I bit back a groan in response, but if I was worried about being the only one, I needn’t be. The others made similar choked off sounds and then we shared a look.

Men that have walked into situations others run from, they share something and I felt like that something was silently communicated now. Noah’s history with Millie and our lack thereof didn’t matter, not when we were all struck dumb by the sight of a beautiful woman.

“I…” Noah was struggling to find words and I understood why. Too many came to mind right now, and none of them were pretty. My fingers flexed, almost able to feel the slick silk of her dress between them. “I kept putting it off, chasing Millie. When I built myself up, when I got accepted as a new recruit, when I became a fully-fledged firie. I kept moving the goalposts because…” His eyes met ours. “If I never put myself out there, the dream stayed alive, but I think, I think…” He nodded sharply because in every other aspect of his life, Noah was decisive, working out what needed doing and then getting it done. “I think it's time to nut up or shut up.”

Whatever feeling of rivalry I might’ve been holding onto, it evaporated right now. My hand thrust out and so did Charlie’s. Noah smiled and then shook each one.

“Best of luck, mate,” I said. “She’d be mad to say no.”

“You’ve carried a torch for the woman for ten years.” Charlie shrugged. “That’s gotta count for something, and anyway…” I noted the twinkle in his eye as he shifted focus to me. “We’ll be there talking you up, making sure she knows what kind of guy you’ve become.”

“Thanks, fellas.”

Noah was a good bloke, which is why I felt a pang at his shy smile. He deserved every chance to prove himself to the girl he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. Trouble was, his explanation fell on deaf ears. There was no way I’d have held off finding Millie if I was standing in his shoes. If she turned him down, if she didn’t feel the same? Well, I wouldn’t be waiting ten years to see if the memory of me carrying her away from the fire played on repeat inside her head, just like it did me. I’d be tasting those pretty pink lips the moment she smiled my way.

“C’mon,” I said, “mother’s club is over. Let’s move these drinks.”